India’s capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), announced on Friday, 29 August 2025, that they have extended the deadline for regulated entities to submit their compliance report and action taken report by one month, reported the news agency PTI.
According to the agency report, Sebi mandates the compliance report and action taken report filing under the mandatory digital accessibility framework in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
Sebi issued a circular in July 2025, mandating all regulated entities to ensure that their digital platforms are accessible to people with disabilities. As per the news report, the regulator’s move was aimed towards fostering inclusivity in financial services and ensuring investors with disabilities have equal access to market infrastructure.
Why did Sebi grant a deadline extension?
According to the agency report, Sebi granted additional extensions to the deadline for regulated entities to comply after receiving multiple requests from the market participants seeking more time.
Sebi has now given the regulated entities until 30 September 2025 to file their compliance or action taken reports and provide a list of digital platforms they provide for investors. Both requirements were due by 30 August 2025.
Sebi also pushed back the appointment of International Association of Accessibility Professionals certified accessibility professionals as auditors, originally due by 14 September 2025, to 14 December 2025.
The conduct of accessibility audits for digital platforms, which was initially required by 31 October 2025, has been extended by six months to 30 April 2026, according to the agency report.
The deadline for market entities to remediate audit findings and ensure full compliance has also been extended to 31 July 2026, while the annual requirement for accessibility audits and submission of final reports to Sebi has been shifted from 30 April 2026 to 30 April 2027.
Sebi’s reporting structure update
According to the agency report, Sebi updated the reporting structure for compliance, which now mandates that the investment advisers and research analysts who were earlier reporting to the BSE Administration & Supervision Limited (BASL) and Sebi will now report to BSE.
Stock brokers and depository participants will continue to report to their respective stock exchanges and depositories, while other market infrastructure institutions and regulated entities will report directly to Sebi.
According to the agency report, a Supreme Court verdict prompted a circular in July 2025 recognising digital access as a fundamental right under the right to life and liberty.
The mandate applied to all Sebi-regulated entities, including stock exchanges, clearing corporations, depositories, brokers, mutual funds, and KYC agencies.
They must ensure compliance with key provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act and related rules to facilitate access to websites, mobile apps and other platforms.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said the REs must submit lists of their digital platforms and compliance reports within a month.
